Speculation has been rife in local media that former Karnataka Chief Minister and former External Affairs Minister SM Krishna has been offered the post of the Vice President by the BJP.
Speaking to reporters in Mangaluru, former KPCC President, Janardhana Poojary, had on January 29 said that Krishna may have joined the BJP because of the very offer.
“The BJP may have offered SM Krishna the post of Vice President, which may be the reason why he quit Congress and joined the BJP. Let the BJP offer him the Presidency also but one important thing is that the Congress has a lot of lessons to learn from the BJP,” Poojary said.
BJP state President, BS Yeddyurappa, had announced on Saturday morning that SM Krishna would join the party.
However, Krishna himself has not made any statement either confirming or denying the speculations.
According to Muzaffar Assadi, political analyst and Professor of Political Science at the University of Mysore, there is no other post that Krishna can be appointed for since he is at the fag-end of his political career.
Assadi questioned SM Krishna’s silence when he was repeatedly snubbed by the Congress and stated that the former Karnataka CM should have resolved his differences within the party.
“The BJP will not offer him a post in which he will be politically active. He will not be offered the CM’s post as the BJP has already named Yeddyurappa as its CM candidate. He has already held the post of a governor and a Union Minister. The BJP cannot snub its veteran leaders by offering him the Presidency. Their only choice is to offer a man with vast political experience, either the post of the Vice President or appoint him as a foreign ambassador,” Assadi said.
Ever since SM Krishna quit the Congress, media reports have suggested that the Congress would take a beating in Maddur, his hometown and Mandya if Krishna joined the BJP.
But Assadi suggests that his image as an urban, cosmopolitan individual could pose an impediment to the working class and farmers of rural India. He also points out that the former CM may have Vokkaliga backing in Maddur and Mandya, but Krishna’s influence does not stretch beyond a few southern districts and has absolutely no influence in North Karnataka.
“His dwindling political career in the Congress led him to quit the party. But this is a political mistake Krishna is making because he is now falls in the same line as other political leaders who have switched parties and stood for nothing. He may be able to swing the Vokkaliga vote towards the BJP but that is just a portion of the bigger picture, which is Karnataka and the Congress already has the support of the Dalits and minorities,” Assadi noted.
Bengaluru has always been BJP’s bastion and Krishna’s contribution towards the development of the city may not make a huge impact on the BJP’s vote bank in the city.
Incidentally, Krishna came a cropper in the 2004 Assembly polls when he chose to switch seats from his hometown of Maddur to Chamrajpet in Bengaluru.
“The BJP cannot give him a post which would require Krishna to be politically active. This would construe as snubbing party hardliners. It will not be a surprise if he is offered the Vice Presidency as it is befitting Krishna’s experience and the BJP has to offer him some incentive to bring him into its fold,” Assadi concluded.
But whether Krishna will take the bait remains to be seen.